Unexpected Company
by HermioneLunaPotter
Summary: After the war, Padma Patil finds company in one person she least expected. Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition - Round 3.


**Round 3 - Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition**

**Team: **_Wimbourne Wasps_

**Position: **_Beater 2_

**Genre: **_Romance_

**Prompts: **_Bruises; "When a war ends, what does that look like exactly?" - Sleeping, Andrea Gibson; "He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words." - Elbert Hubbard_

**Pairing: **_Padma Patil/Justin Finch-Fletchley_

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_Unexpected Company_

The world heaved a sigh. For a moment, everything was still and deathly quiet. Then, the cheering began. People began rushing to one another, embracing each other and crying tears of joy. Padma Patil was no different. She hurriedly cast her dark eyes around the ruined courtyard of Hogwarts, scanning the masses for any sign of her sister. Her heart was thumping wildly and she breathed a deep sigh of relief. It was over. Lord Voldemort was gone forever.

The Ravenclaw felt a sudden thrill at the thought of saying his actual name. For years, the name had been a terrifying taboo in the wizarding world, but now, it was merely a memory.

"Voldemort..." she whispered excitedly, buzzing at the way the word rolled off her tongue. She felt daring and empowered.

"It's not the same, is it?"

Padma jumped and clutched her chest as she turned towards the unexpected voice. There, standing before her, was Justin Finch-Fletchley. The left side of his face was badly bruised and dried blood stuck to his forehead and caked into his brown hair. A large, swollen lump had risen on his neck, with two small puncture marks and he was limping fairly badly. Padma felt a surge of pity for the Hufflepuff boy.

"Justin, are you alright?" she asked in concern.

He merely shrugged and gave her a half-hearted smile. "I've been better," he joked and Padma couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips. "What about you?"

She hastily brushed some of her silky, dark hair out of her face and bit her lip. "Relieved. And sad," she added as she gazed around at her ruined school, tainted with blood and debris and covered by a mass of dead bodies. "So many lives have been lost tonight."

Justin nodded gravely and reached out to grasp her hand. He squeezed it gently and Padma was grateful for the gesture; his hand was warm and comforting. They smiled at each other for a moment.

"I'd better go find Parvati," Padma said, pulling her hand from Justin's grip. "And you'd better get Madam Pomfrey to look at your neck. It looks like an Acromantular bite."

"I'll be fine," Justin assured her calmly. "There are people in more dire situations that need attending to. I think I'll help McGonagall and Flitwick clean up." He gave her another warm smile. "I'll see you around."

Padma stared after him as he hobbled gingerly over to Professor McGonagall. She couldn't believe that he was trying to help others when he could barely walk. But her astonishment ceased when she heard a familiar shriek. Turning her head, she hurried towards the sound. It was her sister's scream.

She found Parvati in the Great Hall, sobbing over a covered body with Seamus Finnigan and Professor Trelawney by her side. Her breath caught as she drew nearer; she recognised the bright pink nail polish on the hand that was hanging limp from the cot. Parvati gazed up at her sister as she approached and Padma felt tears spring in her eyes at the sight of her distraught twin.

"Oh, Parvati..." she cried and rushed to her sister's side. Parvati sobbed into Padma's shoulder, her tears dripping onto her chest softly. She rubbed her sister's back gently and swallowed hard as she looked upon the covered body of Lavender Brown. Being Parvati's twin sister, Padma had also grown quite close to Lavender over the years, spending many pleasant summers together. The idea that someone close to her would be killed had taken her by surprise. Of course, she knew that people would lose their lives in the battle; but, like most teenage girls, she had never expected it to happen to her.

"There, there," Padma soothed her twin, stroking her long, black hair and holding her close. As though she was connected to Parvati by an invisible cord, Padma could feel all the pain and anguish her twin was feeling, and before too long, both girls were sobbing and clutching each other as they grieved the tragic loss of their friend.

Soon, Madam Pomfrey arrived to move Lavender's body in order for another patient to occupy the cot and Padma left her hysterical sister in the care of Seamus Finnigan; who – much to Padma's surprise – was exceedingly considerate. She needed some fresh air, away from the chaos and grief that filled the Great Hall. As she made her way out, she spotted the Weasley family mourning the death of Fred and her heart ached for them. The sight of Professor Lupin's body made more tears spring in her eyes. But nothing prepared her for what she saw next.

Lisa Turpin hurried towards her, her flyaway hair sticking up at odd angles and her face streaked with tears.

"Padma!" she wailed and threw herself into her housemate's arms. "Come quickly, it's Mandy."

Her heart sank as she followed Lisa through the throng to where a group of her fellow Ravenclaws were huddled around a mangled body. As Padma looked closer, she recoiled in disgust. The body was bloodied and torn open and it was almost impossible to recognise. The only thing that stood out was the bright orange hair, making Padma realise immediately that it was Mandy Brocklehurst.

"Poor Mandy," was all Padma could say as she tried desperately to tear her eyes away from the horrific sight. Instead, she glanced around at her housemates. Isobel MacDougal and Sue Li were weeping loudly beside her, while Terry Boot, Michael Corner, Stephen Cornfoot and Anthony Goldstein were sitting beside the cot with their heads in their hands.

"It was Acromantular," Kevin Entwhistle piped up, wiping his nose. Padma felt sorry for him; Kevin and Mandy had been dating for a few years, so her death would be hard on him. "She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Padma nodded, not knowing what to say, and knelt beside her friend. "I'm sorry, Kevin," she told him, patting his knee. He merely put his head in his hands again and his body shook from his sobs. She knew better than to say anymore and rose from the floor, dusting off her jeans. She needed, more than anything, to get out of there. Too many people she knew had been hurt, she couldn't deal with any more. Without a word, she left the scene and rushed outside into the courtyard.

The sun was hidden behind a cloud and cast a miserable, grey light over the grounds. Padma ran, past the Professors beginning the clean up, and into the Forbidden Forest. She didn't care that she was being selfish, she needed space to breath. It was as though she was suffocating as she sprinted through the trees, her dark hair trailing behind her. Tears poured in a constant stream down her cheeks as she thought about all the lives that had been lost. Suddenly, it all became too much for her and she collapsed against a woody trunk, exhausted and distraught. Drawing up her knees, she hugged them to her chest and began to cry.

She heard footsteps approaching and snapped her head up quickly, to see a limping figure stumbling towards her. Her vision was blurred by her tears and she blinked her eyes rapidly and wiped them away with the hem of her shirt.

"Are you alright, Padma?"

It was Justin. His heavily bruised face came into view and he plopped himself down beside her, wincing slightly at the pain in his leg.

"It's just not how I imagined it to be," she confessed thickly. Her fingers became preoccupied with a few leaves scattered among the ground and she gazed absently out into the distance. "I always thought that when this war ended, everything would go back to the way it was. But it won't. Everything's different now."

She felt a little childish admitting her feelings, but Justin remained silent, a fact which comforted her.

"I guess I didn't count on so many people being hurt," she continued. "Lavender, Mandy, Fred... they all had so many years ahead of them, but now they will never be able to tell anyone how much they sacrificed."

Padma sniffed loudly. It felt good just to talk to someone and have them listen to her. Justin reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, which she returned with a weak smile.

"We'll tell their story," he said softly. "Everything will be alright."

Padma looked at him. "You think so?"

He smiled at her and this time it reached his light, brown eyes. "Yes. I'm sure of it."

The two of them sat in silence for a few moments, which suited Padma just fine. She had never really known Justin that well. Sure, he had been in the DA, but they hadn't socialised with each other often. In fact, Padma knew almost nothing about the boy, except that he was Muggle born. As she studied him, she realised that he was quite handsome underneath the blood and bruises. He had short, dark brown hair, warm brown eyes and a strong jaw. His skin was tan, but compared to her own, brown skin, seemed rather pale. She admired him for a few seconds, before she realised, to her utter horror, that she was being completely rude. Here she was, burdening this boy with her problems, when he probably had problems of his own. She decided to ask him if he had lost anyone to the war.

"My friend Wayne," he replied sadly, a single tear sliding down the end of his nose. "He was murdered by a Death Eater tonight. I saw it with my own eyes."

Padma gasped and squeezed his hand for comfort. "I'm sorry," she told him, and she meant it. He met her eyes and gave her a small smile.

"It's not your fault. It's just extremely unfortunate."

She didn't know what to say, so she rested her head on his shoulder and kept a firm hold on his hand, trying to convey her empathy through her silence. He seemed grateful for her company and tucked her head underneath his chin. The minutes seemed to go on for hours and Padma was becoming sore from sitting in one place for so long. She stirred and awkwardly got to her feet, groaning at the stiffness in her legs. Justin tried to stand up, but his bad leg couldn't handle the pressure, so Padma held out her hand to help him. She pulled him to his feet and for a second, they were standing very close together, their faces mere millimetres from each other. Padma felt her cheeks grow hot and she took a few steps backwards to give herself some air.

"You really should see Madam Pomfrey," she advised. "That bite is going to get infected if it's not looked at. And you should probably apply something to your face; that bruising will take an awfully long time to heal unless you treat it."

Justin laughed at her. "Typical Ravenclaw," he chuckled heartily. "Always fussing."

Padma folded her arms across her chest and quirked a thin, black eyebrow. "Fine. It's your body; you can do what you want. Stubborn Hufflepuff," she muttered darkly, causing him to laugh even harder.

"If it will make you happy, milady, then I will go and get treated," he replied jovially and began to hobble back to the castle. As he was doing so, he tripped and Padma lurched forward to catch him and set him straight.

"Let me help you, you idiot," she smiled and she put one of his arms around her shoulders and wrapped her own around his waist. The two of them made their way back to the castle slowly, for Padma found it difficult to move under Justin's weight. Once they arrived at the Great Hall, Madam Pomfrey gave Justin some bright orange ointment and a small vile of clear liquid, before returning to another victim.

Padma steered Justin out to a bench and assisted him as he sat down. He stuck out his leg and drank the liquid in the vile.

"Ergh," he moaned in disgust and smacked his lips together at the rancid taste. Padma laughed at his expression and set about applying the ointment to his bruised face. Her fingers trailed gently over the discoloured skin, spreading the ointment over the affected area until half of his face was covered. As she traced his swollen cheek, Justin grasped her fingers and looked deep into her eyes. Again, she felt herself grow hot and cast her eyes away quickly.

"Thank you," he said softly, and Padma looked up at him through her dark eyelashes to find his nose almost touching hers.

Suddenly feeling daring, she pressed her forehead against his and breathed in deeply. "You're welcome," she replied, equally soft. He smiled and brushed some hair away from her face delicately, his fingertips lingering on her temples. Padma shivered, acutely away of her hand wrapped in his and his fingers on her cheek.

Something came over her. The deaths of her friends and the end of the war sparked something inside her and she was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of desire. Without thinking through the consequences, she pressed her lips against Justin's, surprising herself as much as him. She felt him hesitate for a second, before responding gently and wrapping his arms around her slim waist. They pulled back after a moment and Padma giggled softly as Justin ran his fingers through her silky hair. She had never felt more grateful to be alive.

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**A/N: The idea of this round was to write a rare pairing. My task was to write a rare pairing that included at least one Hufflepuff. So, I thought I might try this pairing. It was interesting writing from Padma's perspective, as she is a relatively minor character, but I enjoyed the challenge. Please read and review! xx**


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